Indestructible
by SpitfireUSN
Summary: (T for language and possible suggestive themes, rating subject to change) I'm writing this to practice my romance genera... This should be interesting... Basically, this story stars Ghost, Roach, and my OC: Amber "Dash" Collins. Read to find out more about the story, I don't usually put the full synopsis here, that's in the first chapter...
1. Chapter 1

**_Hey guys! I wanted to practice my romance so I was like, 'hmm, now what would I write a romance about?' Well, I thought I'd write one for MW2 since I love that game so much and I can do a lot with a fiction of it, like plot twists *hint, hint, wink, wink**evil grin* oh yeah, I'm goin' there. Anyway, on to this story's proper synopsis and then you can read the story itself. Ready? This is sure to be an entertaining read and you'll get a few laughs from my fail attempts at 'romance'. Here goes nothing!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher,_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

_Synopsis:_

_There's been a girl on base for a few months; her name is Amber Collins, call-sign Dash. When a new FNG comes on base things start heating up and two war-hardened soldiers of the one-four-one find themselves in the midst of the most difficult battle they've ever fought. A battle simply known as Love._

**_Okay, honestly, I thought that'd turn out pretty pathetic but that… was… AWESOME! I am not a fan of romance and this is sounding really good just from that! Okay, onto the story… Oh and don't forget to let me know what you think, I NEED feedback! (Yes, apparently I am begging…)_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher,_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

***Ghost's POV***

Everyone relaxed after missions. Just about everyone was asleep except for me, Archer, and Toad. The two snipers were usually in the mess talking about ways they could possibly be more accurate shooters. I never slept after missions, I was always too restless. But there was one person on the team that was more so than I was. I could hear the grunts of effort coming from the rec room. She was always there, always working, never resting. There was more than one reason we called her 'Dash'. She never relaxed; she was always working out, running, or beating the shit out of the punching bag in the rec room. Every now and then we'd find her out cold on the floor in the rec room but it was rare.

I sighed to myself, pinching the bridge of my nose; she was going to burn out if she didn't rest soon so I stood straight from leaning on the wall and went next door to the rec room.

I stood there for a minute, leaning on the door frame, taking my time putting my balaclava and sunglasses back on. MacTavish was the only one that had ever seen my face and that was an accident; I didn't plan on anyone else seeing me. My skull balaclava was the main reason they called me 'Ghost', but there were other reasons as well. After I had my face hidden I stood for a little longer, admiring her soft looking auburn hair and small build. She was small but she was one of the most skilled soldiers there was, her small size made her fast and agile, she was an excellent marksman, quieter than I was, which was saying something, and she was strong, she could knock anyone out with a single punch if she wanted to. She was a genius with tactics and strategy, those grey-blue eyes catching every detail.

Her soft yet firm voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "You need something or you just gonna stand there all day, LT?" she asked, referring to me by my rank.

She never even looked behind her; there was never a chance for her to see me. It was strange how she just knew someone was there and that it was me.

"You're gonna burn out if you don't take a rest," I said coming up behind her but keeping my distance, remembering what happened last time Archer tried to get between her and the punching bag.

He had been trying to get her to rest but she wasn't listening so he got in front of her, which is where he went wrong and got punched in the face.

"I'm not gonna burn out," she said stubbornly, obviously short of breath and exhausted.

"If you say so. Think you can take me down?" I asked.

"You seriously want to spar?" She asked with a half chuckle, pausing before she hit the bag again.

"Yeah."

"Alright," she said, stopping and facing me, "Let's go."

I could see the exhaustion in her grey eyes as sweat dripped from her brow. She came at me for the first attack and I grabbed her arm and pushed her down to her stomach with one knee on her back, one of her arms trapped under her and her other arm held above her.

She struggled and struggled but she couldn't get away from me.

I leaned down to her ear, "Not so easy when the target can hit back, you lost," I said, letting her go.

She got up with an aggravated groan and turned back toward the punching bag, but I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"You need to rest," I said simply, turning her around to face me.

She sighed in defeat and softened her usually stubborn and determined expression to one that showed how she was really feeling, tired beyond all hell. Her shoulders slumped and she fell, passing out from exhaustion. I caught her before she hit the ground and lied her down on the couch.

Archer came in as I was leaving, "Is Dash _actually _resting?" he asked in surprise when he saw her.

"She passed out," I said simply.

"Figures," Archer said with a shrug, "Someone ought to stay here with her to make sure she doesn't try to work out again."

"I'll stay," I suggested, "Not like I got anything better to do."

She slept until the FNG got there afternoon the next day.

He came in with MacTavish. Most of the team was already here. Meat and Royce were playing video games, Archer was reading a newspaper, Toad was doing some research on the computer, and Rook was laughing as Royce beat the shit out of Meat on the game, but he was shut up by a controller to the face. Dash rolled her eyes at them as they started wrestling and she sat up.

"Sergeant Sanderson," MacTavish said, addressing the FNG, "Meet the team."

I heard Dash give a half chuckle, "Guess I'm not the noob anymore," she said, her voice made me melt.

_'Whoa, Riley, do not fall for her,' _I told myself.

"I'll leave you to get settled in," MacTavish said, leaving.

"You got a call-sign, Sanderson?" Rook asked.

"Roach," Sanderson answered with a shrug.

Dash laughed a little, "How'd you get stuck with that?" she asked.

"Because I'm hard to kill," he answered readily.

"Well, no one gets into the one-four-one for nothing. What'd you do that caught Sheppard's eye?" I asked.

"My last mission was supposed to be short and simple, no resistance sentry duty," he started, "Doc said it's a wonder I remember anything, was out for a few weeks after gettin' the shit beat outta me. Still managed to get most of my team out… Lost the newest guy though…" he said, trailing off.

"Yeah, that'll get his attention," Toad said pointedly, "especially if you only lost one guy."

"I'd never leave my guys hangin'," Roach resolved, leaning against the wall.

"Firm loyalty? I like it," Dash said, reclining back on the couch, "Name's Amber Collins, but everyone calls me Dash. Call me Collins and I'll kill you," she joked.

"Archer," Toad called from across the room, "come take a look at this."

Archer put his paper down and walked over to him, "What is it, Toad?"

Roach looked at the tow in curiosity, "Sniper team one," I said, already knowing what he'd ask.

Archer and Toad looked up briefly, having heard the mention of their two-man team.

"What'd you find, Toad?" I asked, seeing the growing look of concern on both of their faces as their eyes skimmed over whatever was on the computer screen.

"Makarov's op hit Zakhaev Airport," Archer answered quickly, typing something in, then waiting before cursing, "Damn it!"

"What?" Meat asked, turning away from his game, letting Royce get the upper hand.

"Allen's dead," Toad answered, "They're saying' he's the culprit along with three or four other Americans."

A silence hung in the air and all eyes were on Dash. She wasn't American but she had a lot of American friends. Her grandfather had even moved to the States and joined the US Navy; it was all in her files. Pure anger and hatred were plastered on her face. She had known Allen and his younger sister, Sara Allen. Sara had also joined the Army and been recruited into the Rangers not long after Joseph Allen had. As far as I knew she was doing well with the Rangers.

Dash stood and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

"What's with her?" Roach asked.

"She knew Allen, they were close," Royce answered.

MacTavish stepped in a little while later, "Ghost, Sheppard wants to see us in the briefing room."

"I'll be there in a minute, we just found out Allen was killed, Dash isn't taking it well," I answered, standing.

"That's what this is about, Sheppard won't wait, Ghost," MacTavish said, as he turned to leave.

***Roach's POV***

The first thing I saw when I walked in was a single woman laying down on the couch, shaking her head and sitting up as she saw two guys wrestling on the floor. I caught her grey-blue eyes and was mesmerized. She was wearing a black exercise top and black yoga pants, making the blue in her eyes stand out, her auburn colored hair even more so. I was speechless when I saw her. I was anxious to know her name. When she spoke her voice was joking, firm, and soft all at the same time. Amber Collins, that's what she said her name was. She was joking when she said she'd kill me if I called her Collins, but I'd still not call her that, Dash seemed much more fitting somehow.

The guy with the balaclava, he was shady and seemed like he was the second-command, with MacTavish being the CO. Ghost, I think he was called, he was pretty intimidating but I couldn't help the feeling that he wore the mask for a reason. MacTavish had called him out when Dash stormed out and I was left with what seemed to be the goofballs that were still wrestling on the ground, the mature acting sniper and the following sniper, the chill guy, and the one that likes to laugh. Great.

"Anyway," the mature sniper, Archer I think, said standing from where the other had called him over, "time for introductions, name's Archer, I'm the head sniper and stand-in field medic since we don't have an official one."

"Toad," said the other guy that was still sitting at the computer, "secondary sniper, Archer and I make up Sniper Team One, as Ghost said."

By now the two that had been fighting stopped and were sitting on the ground laughing, "Meat," one of them said, "CQB and demolitions expert."

The guy sitting next to him laughed harder, "Yeah, Meat, 'demolitions' is the right word for it. I'm Rook by the way, team driver and standard assault."

The guy that was still playing video games put the controller down and stood, "Royce, Meat-head's partner," he teased with a punch to Meat's shoulder and laugh from both of them, "CQB and SMG expert."

"Ghost's the Lieutenant, well-rounded, scary-good at stealth," Archer said.

"So, what's your strong point, Roach?" Toad asked, looking up from the computer.

"Assault and SMGs," I answered with a shrug, "My skills in sniping vary; it depends on the situation."

"For example?" Archer asked.

"I can't stay in the same place and use a sniper, I'm more of an on-the-move sniper," I answered.

"Oh yeah?" Royce asked from where he was still sitting in front of the TV, "think you can beat my CQB with a sniper?"

I shrugged, "I guess."

"Well, we'll have to find out sometime," Rook said, sitting down on the couch.

"Hey, where are Scarecrow and Ozone?" Toad asked, looking around the room.

"I think they're on the range," Archer said.

One of the others, I didn't see who it was, gave a low whistle, "Hate to be them right now, that's probably where Dash went to blow off some steam."

The others chuckled at this and there were a few _'yeah's_.

We chatted for a while; they told me that Ozone and Scarecrow were the infiltration experts. Ghost and MacTavish came in after a while, with Dash, and two others that I assumed were Ozone and Scarecrow behind them.

"Hope you're ready for some action, Roach," MacTavish said, "we've got a mission."


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hey fellow readers/writers! SpitfireUSN here with an update to "The Indestructible"! There was fairly good response to the last chapter and I'm looking forward to more. I forgot to mention last time that I like to do reviewer shout-outs whenever I get a review. I'll answer any questions in the A/N too, so don't be afraid to ask me anything! I love writing but I can't get any better unless you guys review my work and be harsh if necessary, just be sure to tell me what needs to be fixed if you are harsh, otherwise, it does no good, just saying. So, without further ado, here's chapter two! (Heh that rhymed) _**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher,_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

***Ghost's POV***

Alejandro Rojas, a.k.a Alex the Red, he's our target. Makarov killed Allen and Rojas supplied him. Rojas was the key to finding Makarov but we needed his assistant to find him.

Royce, Meat, Dash, Archer, and I were waiting for MacTavish's mark to move in.

"Ghost! Our driver's dead, meet us at the Hotel de Janeiro and cut him off!" MacTavish yelled into the comms.

"Roger that!" I responded, jumping out of the van and running toward the hotel.

When we got there I saw MacTavish and Roach running after Rojas' assistant. I turned the corner into the ally that the assistant ran into and Roach quickly passed me, then Dash, which wasn't a surprise.

"Roach! Take the shot! Go for the leg!" MacTavish shouted.

"He's down," I confirmed, running up.

After restraining him in a garage I started sparking up a car battery as 'Tavish talked to Roach and the others.

"Roach, take the favela with Meat and Royce. Archer, Dash you two are on over-watch," MacTavish said as he shut the garage door.

***Dash's POV***

Toad had stayed at the base and Archer needed a partner. He led me up to a ridge that over looked the favela where we could provide sniper support to the others.

I saw Meat clear out the civvies and they were almost instantly under fire. Archer and I picked off the guys that were shooting at Meat, Royce, and Roach. Between the five of us, the enemies fell quickly.

The three split up, Roach with Royce and Meat on his own. Roach and Royce went right and Meat went left.

"I'll watch Royce and Roach, you cover Meat," Archer said quietly.

I nodded in response and kept Meat in my scope. I took out the guys that he missed. I took down a guy coming up behind him and Meat looked up at me with a swift nod. I began taking down the guys on the roofs shot by shot, reloading quickly. The trio met up at the other side of the favela, out of our line of sight. Archer and I climbed down and ran through the favela. We quickly made it to where they were waiting for us.

MacTavish called us with the location Rajas was in and which way he was headed. We took off running, going higher up in the favela, and getting into fire fight after fire fight. 'Tavish and Ghost gave us updates about Rojas' location as we navigated the maze of buildings and allies.

Hours seemed to pass before we finally ran up to a building.

"He's gonna get away!" Ghost shouted.

"No he's not," 'Tavish said calmly.

Not even seconds later MacTavish burst through a second story window with Rojas below him and the pair landed on a car below.

_~Two hours later~_

"We're running out of rooftop!" Ghost shouted.

"We'll make it, keep going!" MacTavish shouted back.

One by one we all made it across. I turned to see Roach jump and barely catch the edge of the roof. I dove to catch him but he fell to the ground as my fingers brushed his sleeve. He was knocked out by a hard hit to the head when he landed.

***Roach's POV***

"Roach! Roach, wake up!" I heard MacTavish shouting.

I was coming to after a bad fall and I could see the shadows of people getting closer.

"Roach, we can see them from the chopper, dozens of them, get up!" Ghost urged.

I groaned and tried to pull myself up, using the building on my right for support. I fell before I could get very far. I landed on my side, with an involuntary shout of pain, and my back pressed against the wall. It was getting hard to breathe and I was starting to fade as gunshots erupted from the rooftop. I managed to angle my head enough to see Dash and Ghost firing at the militia as I passed out again.

I could tell I was being moved quickly but I couldn't tell where to or who was carrying me. The sound of a chopper got louder and louder and eventually I felt the cold steel underneath me. Someone got my Kevlar vest off and it was somewhat easier to breathe.

I finally managed to get my eyes open and saw Dash standing back with Archer leaning over me, shining a light in my eyes. I reached a hand up to block the light but I couldn't stop a shout of pain when I tried to move my right arm. Archer put the light away and held up a few fingers in front of my face. He said something but I couldn't make out what it was, the ringing in my ears was too loud. There was a repetitive slapping on the side of my face. I could see that Archer was talking but I couldn't tell what he was saying.

The ringing slowly died down and I could finally hear what Archer was saying, "Don't close your eyes, Roach. Come on, stay awake," he urged.

I groaned, "Ow," I said simply.

A few people laughed.

"Archer?" MacTavish asked.

"Grade-three concussion, right arm and left leg are both broken," Archer said simply, "along with a few ribs."

***Ghost's POV***

There was a large scrape on Roach's forehead. There was blood spilling from it down the side of his head and when Archer sat him up, blood starting leaking from his nose. That was one nasty fall.

I saw Dash looking at Roach with worry. There was a hot feeling in my chest and gut and I felt angry at Roach but didn't know why. I turned away and went to sit down closer to the cockpit than they were.

I heard them talking but didn't pay any notice to the conversation. I sat in silence until the pave-low touched down at the base. Archer got Roach to his feet and held him up as they made their way over to the infirmary. The others went towards the barracks, but I went to the range. I wasn't going to shoot, I had no idea why I was there but I was. After a while of doing nothing, Dash walked in, picked up a UMP 45 and started shooting targets. She was probably still blowing off steam about Allen's death. I'd have to write a letter to his sister and the rest of his family that was still safe in the States.

"I already wrote the letter for Allen's sister," Dash said out of nowhere, still aiming, shooting, and looking pissed.

***Dash's POV***

Ghost just nodded in response to what I said. I was pissed to say the least; Makarov killed one of my best friends. Anyone else in my situation would have broken down and cried, but not me. No, when someone I'm close to dies, I run, when I'm pissed, I run, when I'm bored off my ass, I run, when I'm hurt I run. I suppose that's why they called me 'Dash'.

"I'm sorry," Ghost said after a moment of silence, his firm voice breaking me out of my thoughts as I shot blindly at the targets, "about Allen."

_'God damn that accent is sexy,' _I thought to myself. Yeah, I was a Brit too but his accent was different and I loved it, hell, I _adored_ that accent.

I shrugged and kept shooting.

"You're an ice cube, you know that?" another voice said, I recognized it as Meat.

I gave him a sideways glace.

"I mean come on, Dash, you've never once broken down, you're always either pissed, exited, or insanely focused," Meat continued.

"When you've been through the shite I have, you'll know why," I said before taking another shot and putting the gun down.

"And what kind of 'shite' are we talking?" Meat pressed.

My brow furrowed and I clenched my fists to keep from lashing out, "I don't tell anyone about my past. Never have, never will," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady as I ground out the words.

I pushed past Meat and walked out to the track that encompassed the base. I turned around; feeling like someone was following me and saw Ghost, walking casually toward me.

"What?" I asked.

He just shrugged and stepped on the track. I rolled my eyes and started running. He stayed beside me the whole way. There was a warm feeling in my chest as I wondered randomly what he looked like under the mask.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thanks, WheresDaBeef, CaptianHall, and Xterminator, for the awesome review! I can't believe all the support this is getting so early on! Hope this chapter answers for the 'Mary Sue' thing. With what I'm planning, it'll either be this chapter or the next one that puts things right with the flaws. I completely forgot about Cliffhanger so we'll just have to skip it, don't know how I forgot, it was one of my favorites… Anyway! Keep up with the reviews everyone! I love seeing them!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

***Roach's POV***

About a month later and I knew the area and everyone on the team. Dash caught my eye though. She was different. She acted a bit like Ghost but she didn't wear a mask and her accent was different, Ghost was the only one with a southern one. I planned on asking Dash to a nearby bar but I didn't know how to ask her.

I thought of asking Meat but I knew he'd just make a joke out of it. Toad didn't seem like he'd know. Royce, I thought I might ask him but thought better of it and decided I'd figure it out myself. Scarecrow and Ozone were shady and I'd rather avoid them.

I'd have to worry about that later though; I had to work on getting back into shape after being off my feet because of the fall. I was running the pit. The best time had been set by Ghost at thirteen seconds flat; Dash was in close second with thirteen point one seconds. I could imagine she was none too happy about that. My record so far was twenty seconds. I hadn't been able to break it by the time I was done, so I went back to the barracks.

***Ghost's POV***

I was walking by Dash's room when I heard music and singing.

"Now the dark begins to rise, save your breath, it's far from over. Leave the lost and dead behind, now's your chance to run for cover," it sounded like Dash, it was a song by an American band called Breaking Benjamin, "I don't want to change the world, I just want to leave it colder. Light the fuse and burn it up, take the path that leads to nowhere. This is where forever dies. All is lost again, but I'm not giving in! I will not bow, I will not break, I will shut the world away. I will not fall, I will not fade, I will take your breath away," she sang, fading out on the last line and humming the tune of the song.

She sang it as if it were about her own life, the voice she used was amazing, hell it was intoxicating. I was so stunned by the voice that I lost track of time, waiting to hear her start with the words again but she didn't, I only heard her fist connecting with a training dummy and her humming.

I stepped in quietly and was a bit shocked at what I saw. Dash was wearing a black training top and yoga pants, but what shocked me was the dried blood covering her right shoulder. I saw her flinch when she went for a right hook and switched to a left instead. She was right handed so it would be weird if there wasn't a bullet in her shoulder.

"Dash?" I said, getting her attention.

"What is it?" she asked as she forced a right jab.

"You're bleeding," I pointed out.

"I know."

"You gonna do something about it?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she answered stubbornly; "it's nothing."

"It doesn't look like 'nothing'," I said pointedly, "it's slowing you down, you're not making many hits with your strong side," I added.

"I've been through worse, this isn't important," she said with a butterfly kick that sent the dummy to the ground five feet away.

_'Mental note: never piss her off,' _I thought to myself, staring at the dummy as she picked it up. I rolled my eyes when she started beating the dummy again. After a little while of watching I left to find Archer, I wasn't about to let her go into combat with a bum shoulder.

I found the sniper in the mess, "Hey, Archer, Dash has a bullet in her shoulder," I said simply, "she won't admit that it's bothering her either."

"How do you know that it is?" he asked.

"One, common sense. Two, she was beating a training dummy but avoided using her right side, which is her strong side," I answered, "It might still be bleeding, there was dried blood all over her shoulder," I said, leaving to find MacTavish since I knew he wanted to see me in the briefing room.

***Dash's POV***

_'Damn it!' _I cursed myself, how could I leave myself so open like that? Now he was going to find Archer and I was going to be out. If I'm out, I'm not working, if I'm not working, I'm wasting time. I groaned in aggravation and slid on a short sleeve t-shirt that covered my shoulder wound. I washed the dried blood off and wrapped the injury myself so that if it was still bleeding it'd be harder to notice.

I went to the track and started running, I couldn't stop thinking about Allen and how his sister would be reacting to the news of his death. I stopped running and fell to my knees, it was hard to believe he was gone, we'd known each other for most of both of our military careers. I sighed and got to my feet, looking around a bit before my eyes settled on a tall pine tree. I climbed up the strong branches and sat about a third the way up, I was still high enough not to be seen. The sun was setting now and I couldn't stop the tears as I thought about Joseph.

It seemed like hours before I could get my tears under control and stop crying. The sky was black and the moon was up, it was full and the stars were spaced away from it, it was a beautiful sight, one that Allen would've liked. Come to think of it, Ghost would like it too, he was so mysterious, the way the clouds formed over the moon reminded me of him and I smiled a bit before climbing back down. It was getting cold out. Well, maybe not, I was really cold-natured; I was always cold.

I saw Ghost walking towards me, Archer followed him. _'Great' _I though sarcastically.

"Let me see your shoulder, Dash," Archer said.

"It was a through and through, Archer, it's nothing to worry about," I said, not wanting to be out of action at all.

"_Right_," he said sarcastically, "Give me a right hook then."

I did but there was still a sharp pain where the bullet had struck me. Archer seemed to be thinking for a bit before he nodded.

"Okay, should only bother you a few more days," Archer said simply and left me and Ghost alone.

He was staring right at me, I could tell even with those glasses and the mask. So mysterious.

"We move out in two hours, we've got an assignment," Ghost said before walking away.

That voice, I melted every time I heard it. I could tell that he hesitated when he walked away. I bit my lip and went to the armory to gear up so I would be ready. I couldn't tear my thoughts away from Ghost, his shadowy personality and that sexy accent of his.

Two hours later we boarded a sub and were off to our next assignment.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Thanks again, WheresDaBeef and CaptainHall, for your continued support, these reviews mean a lot! Thank you also to SuperVegetaSSJ2 for the nice review, I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Now that that's done, welcome to chapter four! I can't believe all the support this is getting so early on, I love you guys for that! Be warned, this chapter will be pretty emotional at first (yes, sadly I did base the emotional part after my own experience) it's all in the name of making this story better! Keep with the reviews guys; I love to know what you guys think, even if you don't like it!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher,_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

***Ghost's POV***

Oil rigs as SAM sights, workers as human shields. These guys knew how to get our attention. First floor, one breach, it was successful, hostages were secure. Second floor, two breaches, both successful, second one we were compromised, there were no hostages. Up to the third floor, the last one, smoke, I needed thermal sights but I didn't have them.

I heard Dash cough a couple times and saw her freeze up behind cover.

***Dash's POV***

Smoke. Smoke reminded me of my grandfather since he was a smoker. He saved my life when I was little.

I suddenly had a flashback to that moment when I was no more than five years old.

It was a hot night of July with a comfortably cool breeze. My entire family and I were swimming. I tried to jump off the diving board backwards but I didn't push off. My chin hit the board and busted open. I passed out underwater but I still knew that my grandfather had dove in after me and saved my life.

The vision changed to his funeral on October the twenty-fourth. I cried harder than I ever had before or hence. I shook myself from my flashback and back into the fight. I saw Ghost shouting at me and tuned into what he was saying.

"Dash! Snap out of it!" he yelled, firing at the enemies concealed in the smoke that had triggered the flashback.

I shook my head to clear it and pivoted around the corner, using the cover of the smoke to sneak up on some enemies and take them out. I quickly made it to the other side and by the time I did the smoke was thinning out and the rest of the team made it through, taking out the guys I had missed. One breach to go, possible explosives, better watch our fire, multiple hostages confirmed, and several enemies. Piece of cake.

***Unidentified POV***

There was a deafening bang at the door, I was expecting the breach but it still scared the shit out of me. My first instinct was to pull out my knife and charge the first person that came in, which happened to be some guy with a balaclava on. I tackled him, my knife buried up to the hilt in his side. I kept the pressure on the knife until I felt the body under me go limp.

***Dash's POV***

"No!" I shouted when I saw that Ghost had been tackled and stabbed in the side.

I shot the culprit in the head and took out a few of the other guards in the room. Roach and 'Tavish took care of the rest. I quickly knelt by Ghost to get a look at the injury. Ghost had gone limp and his breaths were quick and shallow.

"One-one, we have wounded, we need immediate extraction, over," I heard 'Tavish saying into the comms.

"Copy, we're on our way, see you at the helipad," the pilot call-signed One-One responded.

I carefully pulled the knife out of Ghost's side and got him around my shoulders, quickly moving him to the helipad.

The flight back to base was almost silent. Everyone was either too shocked or too worried to speak.

***Roach's POV***

The look she gave Ghost on the way back to base and the way she stayed by his side until the medics took him to the ER. I could tell she was shaken up, and I wanted to comfort her but I didn't know how. I decided I'd start simple.

I walked into the rec room, which was unusually silent; everyone was waiting on news about Ghost. I saw Dash sitting on the couch. I sat down beside her, knowing what to say but not how or that I should.

After what seemed like several minutes I finally decided to say something, "He'll be okay," I said hesitantly, "That won't be enough to take him down."

She looked up at me and smiled slightly, and I smiled back. _'I wish I knew how to ask her out,' _I thought to myself.

***Dash's POV***

Roach sure was charming. He was a nice guy. His scruffy brown hair and young hazel eyes complemented it. Just by him saying that Ghost would be okay, I knew that he would and I couldn't help smiling a little. A while later the doctor came in with Archer behind him, coming all the way in and taking a seat.

"The lieutenant is fine, he just needs to rest for a few days then he'll be back on his feet," the doc said happily; Archer smiled and nodded, as if proud of something, "he's asleep right now but he should be up around 0800 tomorrow," he added before leaving.

The noise of the rec room returned to what it usually was, video games, talking, computer keys clicking, pages turning, and larger pages turning in the case of Archer's news paper.

It was getting late so I stood and went back to my room to get some sleep. I'd go check on Ghost tomorrow.

Roach stopped me on the way out, "Hey, uh, Dash," he said, seemingly nervous, "maybe you and I could go to the bar some time?" he asked quickly.

"Sure, we'll talk about when later," I shrugged and left to my room.

Once there I lay down on my bunk with a content sigh and fell asleep slowly.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Thanks yet again, WheresDaBeef and CaptainHall, you two are awesome! Thank you also to CarbaretofHarlem and MasterDerp5885 for the review, hope this satisfies! Here goes chapter five! This is going really well, the response I'm getting is just amazing! I'll keep updating if you keep reviewing, there's a reason none of my other stories have been updated in a long time! Well, I'll get right to it; hope you guys like this chapter!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher,_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

***Ghost's POV***

I woke up slowly with a numbing pain in my side, suggesting that I was on pain killers. What the hell happened to get me waking up in med-bay with painkillers? I attempted to sit up but was met with a sharp pain in my side that kept me down. I groaned in aggravation and tried to think back to what landed me in med-bay.

The last thing I could remember was breaching a door on an oil rig being used for a SAM site. Something must've happened on the other side of that door. What happened exactly was a mystery. It seemed like hours of thinking before I gave up trying to remember. I looked to the side and saw my balaclava and sunglasses sitting next to a clock that read 0830. Looked like Doc was doing his job of keeping people out. Doc was the only guy that actually knew my face. I was going to be bored off my ass until I recovered, every time I ended up in med-bay it always took a few days to recover.

Doc came in a while later, "Good, you're up," he commented, passing me my mask and glasses.

"What happened?" I asked, sliding the mask on and then sliding on my sunglasses.

"When you breached the last room you were tackled and a knife went through your side," Doc explained.

"Then how long will I be stuck here?"

"Well, you could walk, but you wouldn't be able to put any weight on your right side," he answered, "I'd say it'll be two days tops till you can walk on your own again."

I lie back with an annoyed groan, "Great," I said sarcastically.

I expected someone to come in but Doc kept at his job of keeping people out, I despised being stuck in med-bay and being out of action even more so. The two days it took for me to get back on my feet seemed to drag on for ages; I felt I was going to go insane by the time Doc came in and told me that I could start 'trying' to walk.

I gave a relieved sigh and slowly sat up, the sore pain in my side still present but not as intense as it had been. I waited a few moments then got to my feet slowly. After so long lying down I was standing on wobbly legs. I sighed in relief again when I managed to stay up and walk around a bit. Doc passed me my dark t-shirt and I slipped it on along with my balaclava and sunglasses. Now to get back into shape. It was about 0700, the team would be in the mess or the rec room, taking it easy before training. I went to the barracks and to my room so I could get my gear on. Once I was geared up it was time to get training. I hurried down to the pit where I saw MacTavish, Roach, and Dash already waiting. Dash smiled at me as I walked up.

"Ghost," MacTavish greeted, "good to see you up again," he commented.

"Glad to be back on my feet," I responded, "When do we start?"

"Whenever you're ready," 'Tavish answered.

I spent several hours running the pit. Admittedly, it hurt to stretch my side the way I needed to get the best time, but I dealt with it.

When we finished I had managed to get pretty close to my record time and it was around noon. Most of the guys went to the mess or the rec room. I went to the track, I still had a lot of 'getting into shape' to do. I ran as long as I could, seven laps, which was about five miles. I stood at the starting line, trying to catch my breath; I hadn't stopped to walk the entire time.

There was a light chuckle, "You look like you're about to pass out," Dash commented.

"How can you tell?" I asked breathlessly.

"You just ran seven laps for one thing, and another, you're seriously winded," she shrugged.

"You would be too," I pointed out, finally managing to catch my breath.

"I was right behind you the whole time," she said pointedly.

Then I noticed the thin line of sweat trickling down the side of her face and that she was breathing heavily but still not winded like I was. I said nothing in return and walked back to my quarters to lie down.

***Dash's POV***

20:00, that's when I was going to meet Roach and we were going to go to the bar. It was 19:00 now. I smelled pretty ripe so I took a shower and checked the time again, 19:05; this was going to be a long wait…

It seemed like hours of waiting before I checked the clock again, 19:55. I better get going if I want to meet him on time. I hurried to the front gate to find Roach already waiting. I smiled as I walked up and he did to.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded in response and we got in a car, Roach was driving. The ride was short and quiet.

When we got there and went in the acrid smell of alcohol and cigar smoke hit me like a brick wall. The smoke stung my nose a bit, making me cough lightly. Fortunately, Roach didn't notice the cough. We sat down and the waiter approached us. We ordered our drinks and they were quickly brought out. The song that was playing changed as I took my first sip of the wine I had gotten. I immediately recognized the lengthy intro of explosions, sirens, and other chaotic sounds of battle. The song was Indestructible by Disturbed. I listened to the song so often I was able to sing it perfectly and did it without realizing.

Roach was smiling at me when the song ended, "I didn't know you could sing," he said over the blaring music as he took a sip of his beer.

I shrugged, "It's a hobby, keeps my mind off things," I mentioned.

Roach just smiled as we kept drinking. When we finished we paid for the drinks and left. Outside we were met with a light chill as the wind started picking up. Across the street I could hear angry shouting. I looked over and saw four or five grown men approaching a young girl and boy. The men were shouting and the kids seemed to be scared, they shrunk back as the men approached them. One of the men grabbed the boy's collar and held him up. I felt Roach tense beside me; he was itching to get over there and stop the men, so was I.

I started across the street and Roach followed me, "Let him go, twat," I said sternly, eyeing the man that held onto the boy's collar.

"No! This _kid _ought to be taught a lesson!" he shouted, clenching a fist and raising it as if to punch the boy.

"You don't want to do that," Roach said, stopping the fist from connecting with the boy's face.

"Who are you? His _dad_?!" one of the other men asked angrily.

"No," Roach said simply, pushing the fist back then forcing the man to let go of the kid, "but I can be your worst nightmare."

When one tried to attack Roach with a knife I stopped him with a firm kick to the groin and an elbow the back of the neck. Roach took down the guy I assumed to be the gang's leader and the others looked terrified of the both of us. The two we took down got up and scrambled away with the rest of them.

"Humph, well, that was interesting," Roach commented.

"Yeah, I don't think we've seen the last of those bastards either," I said as we crossed the road back to the car.

"Probably not," Roach commented as we climbed in and drove the short distance back to the base.

"I had fun," I said with a smile as we got out of the car.

"Me too," Roach replied with a smile and faint blush.

I laughed slightly at it and Roach got redder, "I'll see you tomorrow," I said, turning to go back to the barracks and my room.

Roach was a nice guy. He was cute and funny but there weren't exactly _sparks _as people say. He was a good friend but I didn't like him that way. At least, I didn't think so. I let go of my thoughts and put my ear-buds in, then remembered that Roach had heard me sing. That embarrassed me. As far as I knew, no-one had ever heard me sing before. I shook my thoughts away and started a random playlist. The song _I will not Bow_ came on again. It was one of my favorites and I couldn't help singing it. I fell asleep soon after the song was over.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Thanks again to MasterDerp5885, WheresDaBeef, and CaptainHall, you guys rock, loving the constant reviews! Well that chapter was boring… Aside from the gang action… Yes, I am planning on doing something with that; don't yell at me about it just yet! Hopefully this chapter is more 'interesting'. I have big plans for The Gulag, which this chapter is going to be for. I really need to get more chapters in… Coming up on Loose Ends too quickly… Anyway! Sorry if I switch the POV too much… It kind of happens when I do action sequences, I tried not to, but I couldn't get the right parts of the story told… At least it won't be as bad as it was with the last mission (The Only Easy Day mission)! I won't keep you from Chapter Six any longer!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

***Dash's POV***

The Gulag. It was the single most guarded prison in the world and we were going to break one person out of it. Prisoner 627. This prison was full of living casualties from the last war and everyone the government didn't want but couldn't kill. We were here for one man and one man only. We didn't know what his name was, what he looked like, or where he was in the prison. We were really being sent into the meat grinder on this one but it'd be worth it if we made it out with 627. The assault wasn't too hard. A close call or two with the bombers.

Ghost had made a quip about it, "Bloody yanks," he had muttered, "thought they were the good guys."

We were now assaulting inside the Gulag, heading towards the control center. We came up to it quickly.

"Ghost, Dash, get on the computers and find 627, the rest of you, with me, we're on cell duty," 'Tavish called over shouting, gun fire, and alarms.

I hurried to one of the computers and brought up security feed, checking cell after cell and monitoring the team's progress. Ghost was hacking through door controls and what not. I pulled up a separate window on the computer in case he needed help hacking into something.

"Ghost! You opened the wrong door!" I heard MacTavish call.

"I got it," I said calmly, clicking in a command into the prompt.

Within seconds, the door was open.

"Show off," Ghost muttered good-naturedly.

I smiled over at him and locked my eyes back on my screen as Ghost pulled up the same camera feed.

The operation went rather smoothly. The team had to go down to the center armory, then rappel down to the bottom floor, breach into the showers, clear it out and jump down a hole in the floor. Then it went to hell. A Navy bomber blew a hole in the ceiling and rubble started falling. It was calm for a bit. The team breached a wall to get to 627's cell. Roach was attacked. It turned out that it was 'Tavish's old CO, Price, and that 'Tavish used to be called Soap… Weird name…

Then the bombers passed again and the tunnels and the roof above Ghost and me started going down.

***Roach's POV***

The tunnel was collapsing. I remember having the biggest adrenaline rush of my life and running for the chopper at the end of one tunnel before it collapsed and we had to double back. Make a turn, it was a dead end but there was a hole in the roof. I stood, almost panicking. Then there was a pain in my head like I had been pistol whipped.

Next thing I knew, a guy I didn't even know and who had attacked me just a few moments ago was pulling debris from on top of me.

"Whatever you're gonna do, Soap, do it fast!" he shouted, turning around to face MacTavish.

I groaned and put a hand to my head, feeling something warm, sticky, and wet. I looked at my torn glove to find it and my hand covered in dark red blood. 'Tavish fired a flare through the hole in the roof and a rope was dropped down. Price lifted me to my feet and I stumbled over to the rope, clumsily hooking up to it.

The chopper quickly throttled up and lifted us out, away from the explosions as I passed out.

***Ghost's POV***

Things weren't looking good. Roach had been caught under debris and had a minor concussion but was still out. He was okay, but that wasn't what worried me. Dash was down too. After the bombers made their last run the roof started collapsing down on us but Dash had been in the middle of hacking into something, probably getting some intel. She quickly finished what she was doing and handed me a flash drive. I didn't question it; I just put the drive in my pocket as the rope was dropped from a hole in the ceiling.

"Let's go! Hook up!" I shouted, the adrenaline getting the better of me.

Just as Dash was about to come forward and hook up, the roof collapsed. I saw rebar falling vertically. They had pointed edges from breaking off. She started running forward but one of the bars went through her leg as she moved, pinning her to the ground. Another one went through her shoulder.

"No!" I heard myself shout as I ran over to her.

I was in a panic, trying to carefully lift her up off of the two rebar that had her pinned. I gave up on that and carefully pulled them out. There was blood, a lot of it. I quickly picked her up wrapping her arms around my waist and making sure she was holding on as I hooked up to the rope. I held onto her as tight as I could as Archer pulled us up.

Once I felt the cold steel underneath me the adrenaline faded from my body and I just lay there with Dash in my arms. I was vaguely aware of Archer talking to me, patting me on the shoulder. I assumed he was trying to get me to let go of Dash but I just held her closer. I felt like it was my fault she had been injured and I wasn't going to let it happen again.

I could feel something cold going into my blood at my neck. I was sure I had just been injected with something. I slowly relaxed even though I was still trying to keep my hold on Dash. Muscle relaxant. I was rolled onto my other side so that I couldn't see Dash. Next thing I know, we're back at base and Dash is being rushed to the infirmary. Doc has her in and me locked out before I even knew what happened.

Now I was pacing restlessly. It had been hours since we got back and Doc was still working on Dash. 'Tavish had tried to get me to get some sleep but I refused without saying a word. Doc finally came out with a rather pleased look on his face. I couldn't help smiling. I stopped pacing and faced him. He smiled at me and gave a swift nod.

"She's okay, it'll be a week or two before she's on her feet again though," Doc said happily.

I sighed in relief. Then realized something. I'd never gotten so worked up over anyone getting injured. When someone died, someone died, it didn't bother me. So what was so different about Dash that got me so worked up? Yeah she was pretty, she was tough, and she was very well rounded. She had a temper and had this look of depression, like something had happened to her that had left her scarred. Much like my past. She wouldn't talk to anyone about it if something was wrong and she was stubborn as hell. There were so many things about her that no one knew. I could tell because I was the same way. No one knew my past, my face, or my family. All they knew was my rank, my name, my call-sign, and how I acted.

I wasted no time going in to see Dash. She was still asleep, the rise and fall of her chest was so slow and steady. I smiled to myself and sat down in a chair beside the bed and waited.

It was hours later when she woke up.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked as she sat up slowly.

"Damn it…" she cursed, "med-bay? What the hell happened to land me here?" she asked.

"You got speared in the shoulder and leg by rebar," I answered, with my head down.

Maybe I was feeling too guilty about it, maybe I was over reacting. She just gave an aggravated groan and leaned her head back. Everyone knew she hated downtime and being out because she was injured was even worse. We had lost count of how many times she had tried to escape the infirmary while she was injured.

I wanted to make it sound better but hell; I hated downtime too, so there was nothing I could say.

Dash had closed her eyes again and I assumed she had fallen asleep so I stood and left, closing the door quietly. I sighed to myself and went back to the barracks, it was getting late and I was running drills in the morning. I went into my room and flopped down on my bunk. I got up after a few minutes and changed clothes, locking the door and taking my mask off. I put the mask and glasses on the table beside the bunk and lay down. I got comfortable and fell asleep slowly.

I woke up before the sun the next morning; I checked the clock 0400 as per usual. I jumped up and changed into a short-sleeve t-shirt and uniform pants, sliding my mask and glasses on before heading out to the mess. When I was done it was time to start drills so I jogged over to the drill field and saw that the team had already lined up. 'Tavish stood to the side, waiting for me.

"Alright you muppets, let's see what you got!" I shouted, signaling for sparing practice.

It was me against MacTavish; Roach against Royce, almost felt sorry for the bug, almost; Meat and Archer; Toad and Jayhawk; Rook and Worm; Bishop with Chemo; Robot and Peasant; and Scarecrow and Ozone. At the end of three rounds the winners for each team were me, Royce, Meat, Jayhawk, Worm, Chemo, Robot, and Ozone. For the next round I paired with Royce, the top in hand-to-hand, Meat was with Jay; Worm with Chemo; and Robot with Ozone. Three rounds later I was still standing along with Meat, Worm, and Ozone. I took on Meat next, and Worm was with Ozone. Again I was standing and so was Ozone.

This would be easy; I wondered how Worm had managed to lose to Ozone. I made the first attack, a high fake and low hit. Ozone blocked both hits and landed a light punch to my arm, making it go numb. Right, I forgot Ozone knows pressure points better than anyone. I was careful in making my attacks and set on blocking all of his attempts to take me down. Then I made a fatal mistake when it comes to sparing with Ozone. I tried to butterfly kick, which left my back exposed long enough for Ozone to make a hit and make my legs go numb and give out from under me.

He got me pinned and I struggled. At the last second I managed to get him off of me and jump up to my feet. I made attack after attack, he blocked most of them but I landed a few good hits. Then he countered a right hook by ducking and sweeping my feet from under me. He placed one knee across my chest to keep my arms down and put all his weight on me to keep the rest of me down. He raised his elbow and brought it down towards my face. I felt the impact on the side of my head and the hit sent me into a daze. Before I knew it I was out and Ozone had won. Damn it…

I shook myself from the daze and saw Roach offering me a hand up. I shook my head again when I almost fell back into the daze and got up without help.

How could I let myself loose to Ozone? I was too distracted I guess; Dash was on my mind and I couldn't stop thinking of what I could've done that would've prevented her getting hurt.

I wasted no time calling the next drill. Time to run the pit. Then target practice. Finally we'd do a real PT, pushups, pull-ups, crunches, and everything in-between. It was going to be a long few weeks before Dash was up.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Thanks to WheresDaBeef, CaptainHall, and MasterDerp5885, I love you guys (friendly way)! Chapter Seven! This is where things get 'interesting' I'm moving out of my comfort zone to bring you the most suspenseful 'will they or won't they' ever! This is going to be fun ^_^! Keep reading and reviewing, I won't waste anymore time, onto the chapter we've all been waiting for! Chapter Seven! (Gonna try to land Loose Ends on grand ole number ten for some reason or another….) _**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

***Dash's POV***

One and a half week later I was still stuck in the med-bay. Ghost came by every day though. Brought me food and we chatted while we ate, he had a way of taking my mind off the fact I was injured. But it always came back up when we finished eating and I tried to get up to put the tray away, only to find that I couldn't get up. Honestly it was kind of strange for Ghost to be acting like this, I'd expect it from Roach or Archer or any of the others for that matter, but Ghost? Never. It could be that he blamed himself for me getting hurt but it was my fault entirely.

Ghost hesitated before leaving this time, only to turn around and face me again, "Maybe we could go to the bar tonight, bet you'd like a chance to get out of here?"

I smiled, "Sounds fun," I commented with a nod.

With that he turned around and left, I didn't see him again until that night. He had a uniform on but it was far from the combat gear, it wasn't dress uniform either, it was a standard 'out and about' type uniform.

I was wearing a forest green t-shirt and my uniform pants that matched Ghost's. My combat boots were by my bed so I slipped them on and followed Ghost out to the car. We talked a bit about nothing in particular, favorite drinks and colors, things like that. We were there before I knew it, laughing about some joke made on the radio. We went inside the bar; it was a different one than the one Roach had taken me to. There was no smoke, just the acrid smell of alcohol and the warm, delicious smell of food.

A waiter led us to a table and we sat down, we ordered our drinks and waited the short amount of time it took to get them. We had been drinking them when an upbeat tango/salsa type song came on. I smiled, having downed half my beer and took Ghost's hand as he finished his off and pulled him to his feet.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously as we walked over to the dance floor.

"Oh come on, Doc's gonna let me out tomorrow, he's only having me stay tonight so he can make sure there aren't any 'complications'," I said, "One dance won't hurt."

I could practically feel him smiling as he spun me, "Good point," he whispered in my ear as he brought me close then spun me out again.

I let go of his hand and waltzed up to him, he backed up as I stepped toward him, and we were in step. Other dancers had stopped and were now eyes on us. He grabbed my wrist gently and spun the both of us, making us trade places. He held onto my waist and flipped me over him, me landing on my feet behind him, our backs together. We spun to face each other and circled each other like we were sparing, except without stance. He stepped towards me and I stepped back with the same foot. I countered one of his steps with a hand on his shoulder as I stepped forward with the opposite foot. He spun me again and as the song ended, swept my feet from under me, literally and figuratively, and held on to my back, leaning down. His mask was still above his nose and mouth from when he had been drinking.

Now it seemed as time slowed, we were frozen in place and I tuned out the cheering crowd as he leaned down ever so slightly. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster and my face heating up as he slowly closed the distance between us. His warm lips touched mine in a hot kiss. I froze at first then melted into the kiss and put my arm around his neck. I closed my eyes, completely oblivious to the crowd. I felt like it was just me and Ghost as he kissed me gently, gradually getting rougher as I kissed back. He eventually pulled back, teasing me, leaving me wanting more. He straightened up, bringing me up to my feet as well.

We paid for our drinks and left, my face hotter than ever.

_'Oh god, he actually kissed me…' _I thought to myself as we stepped out into the chilly night, _'it was so amazing…' _

Then I heard shouting that broke me out of my thoughts, it was the same bastards as last time I went to the bar with someone.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't little miss," the leader of the gang said gruffly.

Ghost was eyeing them.

"Piss off," I said quickly.

"No," he responded sternly, taking a step towards me.

Ghost stood in front of me, blocking him, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he threatened.

"And what are you gonna do about it, _skully_?" he asked.

I felt Ghost tense. He raised a fist and punched the guy in the jaw. When two guys came at him with knives I grabbed one by the arm and dislocated his wrist and shoulder. Ghost dislocated the other guy's leg.

"Get 'em!" someone shouted and I looked to the side to see several men with pistols and assault rifles.

Ghost grabbed my hand and we started running, bullets chasing us. We dodged into an ally way, our backs pressed against both walls. I could hear the pounding footsteps getting closer and closer. Ghost looked panicked as he brought his balaclava up over his nose and mouth, crashing his lips into mine again. I melted into the rough kiss again, wrapping my arms around his neck. He had one hand on my back and the other on my waist, brining me closer to him, our bodies pressed together. The kiss was long and passionate. I was still wanting more when we finally broke apart. I saw a smile on Ghost's lips as he pulled his mask back down. It wasn't a full smile but it still was one. We stayed like we were though, my arms around his neck and his hands on my back and waist.

***Ghost's POV***

I cannot believe I just kissed her twice. Both times were amazing but the second time was better. I stayed the way I was, holding her against me, not wanting the moment to end.

_'Gah! What are you thinking, Riley?!' _I scolded myself, letting her go. I stayed silent as we walked back to the car. She was blushing; she seemed to have enjoyed it. I mentally face-palmed though, what was I thinking, kissing her?

We drove back to base and hesitated in the car a bit, "Uh, Dash?" I spoke up a bit, "Does this mean… we are… uh… together?" I asked; this was all so confusing to me…

She smiled shyly, "Yeah," she answered quietly.

I instantly felt my face flush; I'm with the girl I can't get out of my head… _'Yes!' _I shouted in my head, getting out of the car. I walked her back to her room in the infirmary; Doc would have my hide if he found out about any of this. I gave her a tight hug before leaving back to my room, I'd have to work off a hangover tomorrow, and I knew Dash would too but she's stubborn enough that no one will know about it. I lie down and fell asleep smiling.

**_Sorry it's so short… I got stuck and I can't think of anything else to put… That's all I've got to say here, see you next time! Also, don't forget to review, I need to know what you guys think so I can make this better!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_WheresDaBeef, CaptainHall, and MasterDerp5885, you guys are still awesome! Guest, thanks for taking the time to review and being completely honest! I know it was in Shadow of a Ghost, an idea gets stuck in my head and I usually write along the lines of it or almost exactly it without realizing it… Sorry… You shouldn't have much of a problem with that anymore though ^_^ Anyway, on to chapter eight, here we go!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

***Ghost's POV* **

I don't mind the cold too much, but I can only take so much, this was a bit excessive though. For miles all I could see was snow. After that there was water, and a sub, our target. We had to disarm the nukes that the sub was carrying. I looked at the team that was assembled around me, noticing the absence of a certain bug.

"Where's Roach?" I asked rhetorically, knowing already that he must've been blown off course by the bone chilling wind.

Everyone shrugged. We waited a bit to see if he turned up, having been blown not far. No such luck.

Price called over the com-link later saying that he found Roach and that the bug was okay. The two of them were going to head towards the base and attack from the side where we would be attacking from the front.

It didn't take long to get to the town, a few run-ins with guards but we remained undetected. We got there and saw an explosion, a mobile SAM shot down our predator just before it was destroyed. The beginning assault was quick, then we ran into heavy resistance as our second drone made it to position and Roach took control of it, thinning out the enemy troops. We pressed further on and made it into the sub base without difficulty. Once there after clearing out most of the enemies, we took up over watch on the roof of a building near the sub while Price went in to disarm the nukes. It was over thirty minutes of constant firing and dodging until anything happened.

The silo doors started opening and that's when I got on the comms, yelling to Price, telling him that they were preparing to launch the nukes, when I finally got a response out of him all he said was 'good'.

Then all hell broke loose. A nuke started ascending into the air, higher and higher, it's engine was deafening. I called code black for nuclear missile launch.

"We got two trucks coming in from the south!" Dash called as the nuke disappeared, nothing we could do now.

Roach opened the predator control rig but before a missile could be fired. Archer took aim and fired off a single shot. The first truck swerved as about ten men jumped from the back. The driver was dead. I was pulling my rifle up when the Russians started shooting. I didn't have time to react, everything happened so fast it was a blur.

I see Archer take a hit to the shoulder, he drops his sniper, he can't shoot it with just one good arm, and pulls out a pistol. Toad covers him as he takes out any Russian that tries to get up the stairs. Dash and Roach are working as a team, Dash comes up and fires, when she as to reload, Roach takes her place.

I jump into action and begin returning fire at the enemies. I grab a grenade, cook it so that they can't throw it back, and launch it into the midst of a mob of Russians, killing at least five. We soon took them all out and Archer appears to be okay. We get Nikoli to get us back to base after Price exits the sub again.

No one could miss all the looks everyone was giving him. Even MacTavish appeared suspicious, if not pissed, and then there was Dash who couldn't stop pacing. I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and forced her to sit down, giving her a look that I know she caught even past my glasses and mask. The ride back to base was full of tension and silence.

When we finally got back we got straight to tracking the missile. It detonated in space, above Washington D.C. The shockwave caused an EMP* that won saved the lives of several Americans. I could see Dash smiling at the fact that the Americans won their capital back. I was baffled as to how Price knew that the Americans needed help and how he knew how to help them. There was a shocked silence throughout the War Room as the feed ended. 'Tavish gave Price a pat on his back and life returned to normal, everyone went about their normal routines.

Archer was in med-bay getting his shoulder checked out, Toad was on the range practicing, Dash was running, Ozone was doing research, knowing him it was probably on pressure points and what they do to people, still can't believe that muppet beat me in hand-to-hand… Scarecrow was probably sleeping, so was Roach and the rest of the team. Save Price and MacTavish, they were talking to Sheppard in the War Room still.

I went out to the track to find Dash. I needed to be sure about the night before, about whether there really was an 'us'. I kissed her twice, what the hell was I thinking? I didn't even know if she liked me that way or not. She wasn't exactly scared of me like most of the team was, namely Roach… I found Dash finishing another lap around the track and ran to catch up to her.

"Dash," I said when I caught up; she looked back at me and smiled, "we need to talk."

"About what, LT?" she asked as she kept running.

"Us," I answered firmly.

She stopped and looked back with a confused look, "Last night…" I said, trailing off.

She smiled, "Maybe," she answered, somehow knowing my question, "I don't know."

She started running again, leaving me in a daze of bewilderment. 'Maybe?' Ugh… Where did I go wrong?

I walked slowly back to the barracks and saw 'Tavish on my way there but I ignored the confused look he gave me. I flopped down on my bunk with an aggravated sigh. I heard the door open and close but ignored it, it wasn't uncommon for 'Tavish to want to talk to me and he was my CO so he could just come in if he wanted to. I looked over to see the scot standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Ghost, what's with you?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked in return, sitting up and standing.

"You're distracted, mate, and you look depressed as hell," 'Tavish answered.

"How can you tell?"

"Because I know you, Riley," it wasn't often when he called me by my name, and when he did, it was serious.

"I'm fine, you're mistaken," I answered.

"Fine, care to spar?" he asked.

"Here?" I asked when he got into stance; I shrugged and got into stance as well.

He made the first move and when I tried to counter, ducked behind me, kicked the back of my knees to force me down and put me in a choke hold.

He started applying the pressure when I tried to break the hold. I tried to pry his arm away but he was holding it place with his other hand. I felt him place a knee across my legs to keep me from retaliating properly.

"Now, tell me what's bothering you and I'll let you go," he said, pulling the hold tighter.

"Nothing's wrong!" I shouted, trying, and failing, to elbow him in the gut to breath the hold.

'Tavish was standing and I was on my knees, I couldn't exactly throw my head back into his nose.

"You're lying," he said as he pulled even tighter.

I stayed silent, still trying to pry his arm away from my neck.

"I can keep this up all day, Riley," he said after a few seconds.

I couldn't breathe and I couldn't hold my breath much longer before I started struggling to try to get a breath. I knew he wouldn't accept a tap out, which I never did, why start now? A few seconds later I was struggling, my body begging for a breath. My chest felt like it was on fire.

'Tavish allowed me to get just enough breath to say one word.

"Dash!" I called, hoping that would explain everything.

I was relieved when MacTavish let me go. I fell to the ground coughing, trying to catch my breath.

"Dash? She's distracting you?" 'Tavish asked to confirm what I said.

I just nodded in response.

"Solve it, get over it, whatever, just don't let whatever it is distract you anymore. I can't have my lieutenant getting killed because he was distracted," 'Tavish said sternly.

I nodded again, still catching my breath.

"Get some rest, you need it after today," he added, helping me up and then walking out.

I sat back down on my bunk, completely dazed. _'What the fuck just happened…' _

I lay back and fell asleep, I'd talk to Dash tomorrow; I was really tired.


	9. Chapter 9

**_MasterDerp5885 (you really need to get an account…), CaptianHall, and WheresDaBeef, your reviews always make my day! Even on a PT day (yes, I am in JROTC, PT stands for Physical Training…) when I'm sore ^_^ You guys rock! Here comes chapter nine! You guys know what's after this one? Loose Ends… Are you guys scared? You should be! *Evil smile* Also, I plan on going a little out of the story line by adding another mission into this chapter, I have to agree with WheresDaBeef, the last one was way to rushed. I'm gonna make up for it by making another mission, completely original! Enjoy! (Sorry it took so long v_v …)_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

***Dash's POV***

What was I thinking, saying 'maybe'? I'm such an idiot. I have to fix this somehow. I panicked; I didn't know what I was saying. Nope, couldn't say that either. I didn't sleep the next night; my mind was on too many things. Like what I would say when I got the chance to fix it. 'Tavish came in at around midnight, asking me to the war room for a mission briefing.

We were taking a three-man team, plus sniper over watch, courtesy of Sniper Team One, to assault a Russian base where Makarov was assumed to be. If he wasn't we were to find some intel. Nothing we couldn't handle. The team was me, Ghost, and MacTavish. Toad and Archer would be on a ridge nearby to provide sniper support.

The mission was supposed to be short and simple. Except when we got there, it looked like all of Russia had gathered. If Makarov wasn't here, it'd be a cold day in hell. Snow white guile suites, silenced weapons, the whole nine yards for a stealth mission and there was a fucking army standing in front of me. Asking someone to get around all this security was like asking them to eat an elephant whole.

This was not going to be short or simple. It was going to a long and grueling mission to complete, but we'd get it done. We had gotten so far in our search for Makarov, we weren't going to go down now, and even if we did we'd go down fighting. We split up to cover more ground and try to thin out the security.

I was waiting around a corner for a guard to come around so that I could sneak up on him and take him out quietly but as soon as he passed the corner, a well placed bullet went straight through the back of his head. I looked over to the hill where Archer and Toad were, sure that the one that took the shot would be watching me, and flipped him off.

"Who just stole my kill?" I asked quietly over the com-link.

I heard both voices chuckling, "That was me," Archer answered.

I gave an annoyed hiss and stayed quiet, I still had a lot of ground to cover.

I was in the process of sneaking up behind someone when I heard several riffles being cocked and readied behind me and a Russian chuckle. I froze in my tracks and stood straight; dropping the knife I had pulled out to get the job done. I slowly put my hands a little above my head, knowing that Makarov was behind me along with several highly skilled body guards. I had skill, but not enough to take out so many skilled guards and Makarov.

I felt a rough hand grab one of my wrists to bring my arm down so I would be hand-cuffed. I quickly swung that elbow back as my arm was brought down and felt my elbow connect with the guard's face. He stumbled back a few steps and I turned around to face my enemies, there were twenty of them not including Makarov. No way in hell I'm going in without a fight. Makarov just stood back with an amused grin as the first guard attacked me, only to be met with a butterfly kick to the side of the head.

I was quick in disposing of five guards. A few hits had been landed on me and they all hurt. My face was sore. Why Archer and Toad weren't intervening, I would never know, though they were probably watching 'Tavish and Ghost. After taking down five more they all jumped me at once and wrestled me to the ground. I saw the head of the guy in front of me explode in a red mist. Good ole sniper support. Guys started falling right and left and Makarov made a run for it. I ran after him as soon as I could but he turned a corner sharply and when I followed suit, he had disappeared.

"Damn it!" I cursed to myself, kicking the snow, the footprints long gone having been covered up by the full blown blizzard.

Ghost ran up from one of the corners and 'Tavish from the other, both aiming their rifles, apparently expecting Makarov, "Where'd the bastard go?" Ghost asked rhetorically.

I shrugged, "I was following him but lost him when he turned this way," I explained.

The only two ways he could've turned were where Ghost and MacTavish had run up, which confused me.

Then we were all at gunpoint. Damn it… I cursed to myself again; Makarov was standing behind a line of five Russian special forces. They outnumbered us six to three. Archer and Toad wouldn't be able to get eyes on from where they were in relation to where we were. I dropped my rifle, same as MacTavish and Ghost and held my hands slightly above my head.

***Ghost's POV***

This is just great. Six Russians standing in front of me and I can't do a damn thing about it even though I have 'Tavish and Dash. I looked over at her, her amber colored hair blew from under her helmet in the strong winds. Her grey-blue eyes were turned icy by the cold. It complemented the look of persistence and determination as she clenched her fists and struck the first Russian that dared to get close enough to her, knocking him cold in one fell swoop. I dropped to the ground and picked up my M4 as Dash fought off two more of the guards, and shot the two that stood back, ready to assist. Dash didn't take long disposing of the two she was sparring with.

When the fight was over, Makarov was gone without a trace… again… That bastard and his hit and run tactics…

We walked out from around the corner and I signaled to Archer and Toad to check in. I was instantly worried when the comms were silent. We ran up to where they had taken up over watch and found that they had both been drugged and were now unconscious. There were evident signs of a struggle, seeing as the snow had been overturned, there were three plus sets of boot prints and the snipers were not where they would be able to wake up and get right back into position. Archer was on his side and Toad was on his back.

My brow furrowed as we looked around for clues as to where the attackers had gone but found nothing. Man these guys were good at covering their tracks, literally. We returned to the snipers and called in our exfil, marking our location with purple smoke. When the chopper got there we loaded up, the snipers still out, they probably got hit with a strong dose of sedatives.

When we got back to the base we took Archer and Toad back to their room, not bothering asking Doc to take a look at them, we already knew they had been sedated.

I noticed Archer shifting and groaning in his sleep as we left but ignored it.

***Archer's POV***

**_(Oh yes, I forgot to mention: I'll be twisting it up a bit in this chapter cause Archer is awesome… *evil grin*… Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher, Spitfire out)_**

I heard the snow crunching behind us as I waited for Dash to come out from behind the building. I jumped up and turned to face whoever was coming. I was now face to face with two special forces Russian soldiers. _Ah crap,_ I thought to myself as I pulled out my pistol.

One of the Russians attacked Toad as he got up and the other one grabbed my wrists and held my arms straight out, kneeing me in the gut, making me double over and let go of the pistol. I straightened up to face the Russian soldier as he unloaded my weapon and threw it to the side, attacking me head on. I tried to fight back but found myself pinned on my side, struggling. I was about to get free when the Russian reached behind him with one hand and pulled out a syringe, jabbing it roughly into my neck.

I froze and went limp as my attacker pulled the syringe back out and stood up. I fell asleep soon afterwards. Sedatives… strong ones… I hate it when I get sedated, always gives me weird dreams later…

I woke up, sitting bolt upright, expecting to be in some enemy facility but was met with being in mine and Toad's room back at base.

"Uhh… Archer? What just happened?" Toad asked from above me, on the top bunk, he must've been sedated around the same time I was.

"I think we just got taken down by sedatives…" I said tiredly and unsure of whether or not that was a dream, though considering Toad's question, probably not.

Toad jumped down from the top bunk only to have his knees give out, causing him to fall back to the ground, "Ow…" he groaned.

"You're a dumbass," I muttered jokingly, then remembering that Toad had never had a dose of such a strong sedative, "Something as strong as they used on us is gonna take a little while longer to wear off, Toad, you'll be up in a few minutes," I explained.

He just groaned in annoyance.

***Ghost's POV***

I heard a something hit the 'roof', above where I was standing; I was under the snipers' room. _Guess they're awake…_ I said to myself, still wondering how I was going to fix things between me and Dash.

I figured it was Toad that hit the ground since he was on the top bunk. I left the two to get themselves together and went back to hitting the punching bag in front of me.

After countless minutes of beating up the punching bag I finally decided that I wouldn't fix things with me and Dash, because apparently there was nothing to fix. There were things better left unsaid, and this was one of those things. Just like no one knew about my past, no one would know what happened between the two of us.

I had to get over it anyway; we had a big mission tomorrow. I was taking Roach, Dash, Scarecrow, and Ozone to infiltrate Makarov's safe house while Price and MacTavish took the airplane bone yard.

I stopped beating the training dummy and slept.


End file.
